Welcome to Our Day of Peace

On that 11th day of February, the eyes of humanity were focused on Africa; and not with sadness or pity of which we had become accustomed to at that time. No angry crowds gathered in the streets. No police brutality or vicious mobs trying to disturb the peace. When the gates to Robben Island – the prison that held him for more than a quarter century – opened and Nelson Mandela walked through, the serenity that surrounded him, captivated the world and drifted down upon us too.

There walked a man, the same as you and me, born into this world without sin, but into a nation that developed hatred from within. Stripped of all dignity, given no clout, he was less than a second class citizen, but refused to give in to doubt. Where…